Napoli: Conte’s revenge, silences critics and outsmarts Allegri | OneFootball

Antonio Conte responds on the field, as he has often done throughout his career. Napoli’s victory over Milan in the Italian Super Cup is not just a sporting success, but a clear stance against the climate of distrust that had spread through the city after the defeats in Lisbon and Udine.

Napoli, Conte’s Revenge: The “gossips of the gulf” disproved and Allegri beaten with strategy

This story is told, with his usual direct style, by Mimmo Carratelli in Corriere dello Sport, focusing on the figure of the coach from Salento and his ability to overturn judgments.

The city’s premature verdicts

According to Carratelli, in Naples the verdict had already been delivered. The “gossips of the gulf”—a metaphor for barroom chatter and hasty judgments—had constructed a merciless narrative: “Conte is stuck, he doesn’t react, he stammers, the team is lost.” From there, an escalation of increasingly drastic conclusions: Allegri is better than Conte, Conte will leave at the end of the season, the project is already over.

A harsh diagnosis, formed in just a few weeks and without appeal, describing a Napoli adrift and a coach unable to make an impact.

Riyadh as a turning point

The Super Cup semifinal in Riyadh completely overturns this scenario. Conte, writes Carratelli, “wraps up Allegri” with a clear and targeted strategy, shutting down an ambitious Milan, built to aim for the Scudetto and also favored by the absence of European commitments.

The issue of absences is put into perspective: Allegri does without Leao, but Napoli is missing Anguissa and Lukaku. “Let’s forget about the absences,” observes Carratelli. What made the difference were the presences, the Neapolitans, superior in every area of the pitch. Napoli controlled the match, neutralized Milan’s strengths, and drastically reduced the opponents’ threat.

Never bet against Conte

The message is clear and goes beyond the single match: “Never bet against Conte.” Carratelli identifies the reasons for this constant in the coach’s career: experience, proven results, strong character, and a preparation for matches described as “maniacal.” Conte, according to this interpretation, is the coach capable of turning every stumble into a lever to react, overcoming defeats and negative moments with method and determination.

A Napoli that starts again and looks ahead

The Super Cup victory also brings concrete benefits. Napoli pockets its first millions from the competition and now looks ambitiously to the final, to the “big haul” evoked by Carratelli. Aurelio De Laurentiis smiles, aware that he has a coach on the bench who does not betray in key moments.

The conclusion is almost epic: “The leader did not betray. The leader never gives up.” A phrase that sums up the meaning of the night in Riyadh and, above all, the significance of Conte’s response to those who had already written his ending.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.